Ursa Major

American  

[ur-suh may-jer] / ˈɜr sə ˈmeɪ dʒər /

noun

Astronomy.

• Ursae Majoris
  genitive

1. the Great Bear, the most prominent northern constellation, containing the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.

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Ursa Major British  

/ ˈɜːsə ˈmeɪdʒə /

noun

1. Also called: the Great Bear, the Bear. an extensive conspicuous constellation in the N hemisphere, visible north of latitude 40°. The seven brightest stars form the Plough. A line through the two brightest stars points to the Pole Star lying in Ursa Minor

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Ursa Major Scientific  

/ ûr′sə /

1. A constellation in the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere near Draco and Leo. Ursa Major (the Great Bear) contains the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.

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Ursa Major Cultural  

1. A constellation; the Great Bear. (See Big Dipper.)

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Etymology

Origin of Ursa Major

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ursa Major

Ursa Major, now employing roughly 350, pivoted to defense contracting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

The object, called SN 2017egm, erupted in the galaxy NGC 3191, about 440 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026

Ursa Major left port in St Petersburg 12 days ago, according to Russian news agency Interfax.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2024

Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is one of the most prominent northern constellations, and its main claim to fame is that it contains the Big Dipper, a highly recognizable asterism.

From National Geographic ● Aug. 23, 2023

The stuff seemed to go on forever, and if it hadn’t been for Ursa Major, we would’ve gotten lost.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan